Monday, September 28, 2009

Hey, Let's Give Child-Rapists A Pass!

The surprise detention of Roman Polanski has been met with indignation in Hollywood and sparked a flurry of media speculation over the real reason behind Saturday night's arrest in Zurich:

Film mogul Harvey Weinstein has got behind a campaign by French film-makers calling on US authorities not to extradite the Oscar-winning Polish director in connection with a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor dating back more than three decades.

Weinstein entered the fray at the personal behest of Cannes film festival director ThierryFremaux and will now use his considerable influence and campaigning heft to enlist the support of Hollywood.

"We're calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation," Weinstein said, reviving a theme he adopted earlier in the year after he bought international distribution rights at Sundance to the HBO documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.

Let's take a minute and once again recall what this sleaze actually did back in 1977.

He used his status as a famous Hollywood director to get close to a 13-year-old girl in the neighborhood, taking photos of her and talking to her about helping her get into the movie business. One night after he lured her over to Jack Nicholson's house, he fed her a quaalude and a lot of champagne and essentially used her as a blow up doll, with all three inputs involved.

Because he was able to buy some good lawyers and because Hollywood is a celebrity crazed town, he was allowed to cop a plea for one count of illegal sex with a minor -no rape charges or contributing to the delinquency of a minor raps like anyone else would have been charged with. And then he jumped bail and fled to France before he was sentenced, becoming a fugitive from justice.

Now, I would expect Hollywood's degenerates in to come to Polanski's defense.To them 'talent' excuses anything.Well, almost. I mean, it's not like he did something truly evil like voting Republican.

His profound wisdom is that with California's fiscal crisis, we ought to let celebrity child rapists walk because, after all, it was a long time ago and "Polanski has already paid a horrible, soul-wrenching price for the infamy surrounding his actions. The real tragedy is that he will always, till his death, be snubbed and stalked and confronted by people who think the price he has already paid isn't enough."

Goldstein is a self-important ignoramus who deserves to know what it feels like to have somebody drug him and abuse him sexually.I have a feeling his opinion on the matter might change.

Yeah, Polanski paid a price all right. Instead of rotting in a cell, he got to live a life as a pampered wealthy celebrity in Europe. Frankly, he deserves to be snubbed and confronted, just like any other child rapist.

Another argument that has surfaced is that there were 'irregularities" in Polanski's trial and that his victim, the now 44-year-old Samantha Geimer (nee Gailey)wants the charges dropped.

The L.A. District Attorney's office had an agreement with Polanski that in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser charge, he would confess what went on that night at Jack Nicholson's house, and it's exactly as I related above. Since Polanski became a fugitive from justice, that plea bargain is null and void but his confession, given under oath still stands. There's no question of his guilt and if Polanski is extradited, the DA ought to throw the book at him.

As for Ms. Geimer's feelings on the matter, she already testified in the case back in 1977 and that testimony stands, unless she repudiates it, which would leave her open to charges of perjury.I appreciate that she wants to move on and not relive it, and that testifying against Polanski might be in violation of the agreement she made with Polanski's lawyers when they settled the civil suit she brought against him for an undisclosed sum, but the pursuit of justice is a societal matter, not a matter of personal choice. The charges against Polanski were brought by the People of California, not Ms. Geimer.

And as far as Polanski's Hollywood allies go...well, let's be kind and just say they live in a different moral universe. It's a pity it has to interact with ours.

2 comments:

louielouie
said...

....there is of course a different angle that i believe ff has overlooked, and ff if very thorough in his observations.ff might want to consider this.if polanski is extradited and hauled into court he could address the judge stating that he has embraced islam.a 13 year old is fair game, and he was just getting a head start on his 72 as he is prepared to take on jihad. it was just something he failed to mention at trial.he can then state that california law has no jurisdiction over him, only sharia is the true law.then he can pull out his ak-47 kill the judge, the stenographer, harvey weinstein if he likes, the bailiff, and walk out of court a free man.all without the use of an attorney.ff might want to consider that angle if he want to cover all aspects of this case.